Within my 24 years of life, I have encountered numerous people that have, when confronted with my nationality, confided in me with their lack of understanding about Puerto Rico and its history. Their facial expressions clearly depict how excited they are that, finally, someone can answer all their burning questions. At first, it seems like they are merely intrigued to be conversing with an "outsider," but their tone quickly suggests a humorous attitude toward their ignorance.
They can finally confess, "So... I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now. Where exactly is Puerto Rico?" I know what you're thinking, how in the world has this person made it so far in life? But it gets better. The lack of geographical understanding is quickly followed up with the standard American question: "Why are Puerto Ricans so upset at the United States? Don't they get to travel here with a license? That's such an awesome privilege, why would anyone be upset about that?"
It is totally normal for people to ask questions when they are confused about a topic, despite it being all across the internet and literally on every media outlet. Even then, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and explain to you a topic that I personally have known about since grade school. It is not my place to judge, however, because we all come from different corners of this world and that is one of the things that makes the human experience so meaningful.
That's not what this story is about though. This is about a guy in a bar that won't leave you alone until you answer all of his shower thoughts. The audacity to wait for the moment that you can confront a minority to become informed about something that they have been so passionately fighting against their entire life; it's quite appalling if you think about it. But hey, at least he wants to know, right? In honor of that, I want to offer a few suggestions to any American that finds themselves wanting to have these conversations with that "cute girl with an accent:"
1. Google is still a thing. Look it up and form your own opinions about the topic. Don't expect someone to draw a detailed map for you about something that is so deeply engraved in your own country's history.
2. Don't ask if you're not actually going to listen and engage in what could be a thought-provoking conversation. It's just rude.
3. Keep your Bad Bunny and La Perla references to yourself. They don't make you relatable, trust me.
All jokes aside, it's quite beautiful when people are genuinely intrigued to bridge those systemic cultural gaps. There is actually quite a lot of horrific history between the United States and Puerto Rico that the government simply does not want you to know about. There is a lot of suffering and oppression that has accumulated throughout the years and years of colonization that Puerto Ricans have endured. Wanting to know is part of the solution, but your nonchalant attitude will always be part of the problem.
